The Department of Geography, Society, and Environment at the University of Minnesota invites applications for a full-time, 9-month, non-tenure track position at the rank of Lecturer (job code 9753) with the working title of Teaching Faculty of Spatial Data Science to begin teaching in the fall 2025. 

We seek a dedicated educator in Geographic Information Science (GISc). We welcome applications from individuals working in any part of the field. We are especially interested in receiving applications from educators who complement our strengths in geovisualization and cartography; spatial analysis and modeling; and cyberinfrastructure and geospatial technologies. The primary role of this position is to provide high-quality GISc instruction with an emphasis on problem-based learning and active learning by teaching 5 courses per year. The ideal candidate will help provide vision and leadership for the professional Masters of GISc program, the first such program in the country, as well as for current and upcoming undergraduate GISc programs. In addition, this position includes dedicated time for professional development, public engagement, and service.

For qualifying candidates, this position has the option to include the secondary title of Associate Director of the GeoCommons. You will help develop and administer programming and activities for the GeoCommons, including building and maintaining collaborations between GeoCommons and units across the University system, as well as individuals and organizations working in GIS in Minnesota's public, private, non-profit, and governmental sectors. Additional activities could include non-credit courses and workshops, digital badges, active learning modules, and research-driven learning experiences.



Responsibilities

80% Teaching:

• Provide high-quality instruction in GISc and GISc-related courses. This may include existing courses such as Intermediate Spatial Data Science Applied with ArcGIS, Advanced Spatial Data Science Applied with ArcGIS, Principles of Cartography, and Advanced Cartography and Geovisualization, as well as newly developed courses.
• Maintain and update course content and, if needed, develop new courses to meet programmatic needs and improve undergraduate and graduate student success in response to emerging developments in geospatial data and technologies.
• Create a supportive learning environment for a population of students with broad professional, personal, and academic interests.  
• Work with teaching assistants assigned to your courses, guiding their efforts in supporting student learning.

20% Service and Professional Outreach

• Help contribute to planning, programming, and activities for the GeoCommons, our new collaborative hub for geospatial research, education, and public engagement.
• Collaborate with U-Spatial and other units to strengthen GISc across the university, including, for example, participating in the Esri Innovation Program (EIP).
• Advise students regarding both coursework and broader academic or career goals.
• Continue growth within the profession to enhance the Teaching Facultyâ™s own teaching, and also benefit the wider GISc community through interactions with students and colleagues and participation in state-level GIS activities, such as with the MN GIS/LIS Consortium.

Required:

• At the time of appointment, the candidate must:
  • possess a MGIS, Masters, or PhD in GIScience, geography, or a related field;
  • have a record of teaching, training, and/or student advising appropriate to career stage;
  • demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with students, practitioners, and the public;
  • be proficient with geospatial tools, including ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, and other commercial and open source products in teaching and research settings;
  • be proficient with programming languages (e.g., SQL, Python, JavaScript, R).

Preferred:

• Experience with spatial databases and/or enterprise GIS environments (e.g., PostGIS, ArcGIS Server).
• Experience with cloud computing environments (e.g., AWS, Azure).
• Experience or strong interest in cutting-edge geospatial technologies, including robots, VR, drones, sensors, etc.
• Strong interest in linking undergraduate and graduate research to classroom experiences so as to promote student engagement in research.
• Interest and ability to conduct pedagogical research.
• Interest and ability to cooperate with colleagues to develop grant proposals to advance funding for instruction and scholarship of teaching and learning.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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